In his Prime
When providing fitspiration for my clients and readers it always appears that women are highlighted more often than men. Men go through transformations, they have their own struggles and success stories. Not always do we (I know I forget sometimes) acknowledge their struggles or their success.
Today, as my last client highlight I'd like to share the story/interview of my oldest client, Kenrick "Prime" Richardson. Ken has transformed his physical body but more impressively his mental strength - as the journey is so much more mental than we realize.
Have a read of our interview, be inspired and to my male readers on their journey through fitness and wellness, I salute you! Stay strong, get strong, remain committed! I applaud you all!
When did you first start working out and why? I started with Dre/AbsByDre way back in the summer of 2012. I knew I needed to make a lifestyle change as I was not feeling good about the way I felt and looked. I had gym memberships before and worked out with some friends but we all fell off as life’s nuances took hold and went in a change of direction with things, which for me led to not joining a gym and putting on a significant amount of weight. I was not one to keep still and would always remained active whether it was playing drums with PHCMDC, softball or getting out there on the squash courts every so often. Doing these things were alright but my body was not conditioned to maintain the activities in an effective and healthy way. I felt it started to take a toll on me. Then came this 6ft11” (at least) “party crasher” who happened to have all her certifications and was looking to start her brand/training but only had 1 client at the time….and the rest you say…is history! The journey began that summer….right before Cup Match…so I was totally serious. What is your favorite exercise/workout? My favorite exercise is the rest in between exercises…because they say rest is just as important right?? But my favorite exercise is shoulder presses. It maybe vanity type reasons but I like the way my shoulders are developing and it pumps me up more when I look in the mirror doing the presses and the deltoids are popping! What is your least favorite exercise? How do you encourage yourself to complete it? I don’t think the Hindssight website has enough space for these listings…lol But if I had to choose my top ones they would have to be lunges, because it really hurts my big toes, burpees because whoever invented this did not pick the right name for them, so I will call them throw ups, and the dreaded pull ups. I really have problems doing these and struggle every time with them. I honestly encourage myself by getting hard on myself and calling myself names and saying get it done and shouting come on Ken!! A little shout, grunt and maybe a bad word or 3 may give me that extra push needed as well. What is your current fitness/health goal? I have not set any long term fitness goal. I just really set my goals for the days that I train. Those goals are to get in the studio, find out what madness is on for the morning, and set the goal of completing all the exercises to the best of my ability, injury free and depending on what we are doing, like going for 1 max rep, to record a PB that morning. My health is no goal, it has to be a way of life. So health journey is to live long and prosper. What is your favorite go to meal? Well this question can go either way, for health meal or junk meal. For health I like going with mixed fruits and probably a nice grilled chicken breast with salad. In regards to junk…..I don’t think Hindssight website has enough space for these listings either…lol What is your favorite treat? Anything chocolate!! You could put chocolate on anything and it will be my favorite. If this keyboard had chocolate sauce on it right now…
What is one thing you shouldn’t say to someone on a fitness journey, or something someone has said to you and how you worked through it? I don’t think that people who follow your journey should expect that you are 100% committed fully with pure perfection especially in regards to diet. There come times where you have to have a “bad” meal just to keep in it mentally, so when you see that person on that journey in Burger Island (throwback) ordering food and you say to them "ohhhh what are you doing I’m telling your trainer" blah blah blah, just think first and maybe realize this may be a cheat meal or a mental break needed which help them along the journey. Trust me, they know it’s not a "good" meal, but for them its needed right now, and it is all about balance.
When someone says this to me I just flip it back on them, like “oh….but this is not the 8th time this week I have been in here like you….and its just Tuesday". And I would happily tell them, go tell my trainer that I was with yesterday morning, this morning and will be with her tomorrow morning as well. To also help me through it I would go into training the next day knowing what I ate previously and put in that extra effort, not as punishment though! Food for the mind fuel for the fit!!
If you could say one thing to motivate someone who may be struggling with their own journey what would it be? I would say that if you found yourself struggling with your journey just remember, you made the choice to get started on it so think back and try to remember why you started in the first place. Keep it real with yourself. Don’t expect perfection each time and realize there will be ups and downs as we all go through this thing called life. Hey if those 5 reps were hard just remember its 5 more reps than you would have done sitting at home on the couch. Celebrate each milestone no matter how small they may be. Small progress is still progress and leads to bigger and better gains. Dig deep, don’t give up on yourself and in the words of the some of the great musical philosophers of my time, Salt ‘N” Pepa…”Push it Real Good”!
Thank you Ken for sharing your journey with us. I know you are an inspiration to so many. I am so happy to have witnessed your physical and mental transformation! Continue to "Push it real good"!
To my readers, thanks for reading and I hope yozzzu've been inspried by my last 3 client highlights! The journey of fitness and wellness is just that, a journey. Enjoy the ride, stay committed, and be true to yourself, always.
